PATRIOTS NOTEBOOK: Stressful times in Pats' locker room

It's cutdown time around the National Football League. With four moves officially announced on Monday, the Patriots' roster now sits at 83, 30 above the limit they must get to by 6 p.m. Saturday.

Glen Farley The Enterprise @GFarley_ent

FOXBORO – They’re sleepless in Seattle.

They’re fidgety in Foxboro, too.

From coast to coast, it’s that time of year in the National Football League.

“Probably. Maybe. Maybe,” wide receiver Brian Tyms, a free agent who signed with the Patriots during the opening week of training camp, answered with a laugh when asked if he would be able to sleep this week. “I don’t know, man. It’s difficult to say.”

Teams must cut their rosters, which numbered 90 at the start of camp, to 75 by 4 p.m. today. They must then get to the regular-season limit of 53 by 6 p.m. Saturday.

“I would definitely say (there’s stress in the locker room this week),” defensive end Michael Buchanan said. “Obviously a lot of guys that are here aren’t going to be here anymore.”

The process has already begun.

With Monday’s announced releases of three veterans – defensive end Will Smith, defensive tackle Tommy Kelly and linebacker James Anderson – and rookie tight end Justin Jones (for the second time this month), the Patriots’ roster now stands at 83.

At least 30 more moves must be made prior to nightfall on Saturday.

Obviously, there are no concerns for the Tom Bradys and the Devin McCourtys on the team, but for others ...

“(There are) a lot of sleepless nights,” said Buchanan. “But if it was an easy job everybody would do it. So you have to come in and work every day.”

That’s pretty much the approach linebacker Steve Beauharnais, like Buchanan a seventh-round pick in the Patriots Draft Class of 2013, is taking.

“Our main focus is just to try to go out there and play with the opportunities that are given to us,” said Beauharnais, who improved his chances with his red-zone interception and 61-yard return in the third quarter of last Friday night’s 30-7 win over Carolina. “I don’t think anybody should be nervous. Control what you can control, really.”

That’s a task easier said than done.

“It’s a grind,” said Buchanan. “You have to come in and work hard every day. You can’t really think about who’s going to be here and who’s not. You just have to show the coaches the type of person, the type of player you are every day.”

And if you are one of the many who get the tap on the shoulder and the directive “coach wants to see you … and bring your playbook,” well, Tyms has been there, done that.

“I’ve been cut three times so it’s not the end of the world,” said Tyms, whose previous teams (San Francisco, Miami and Cleveland) outnumber his career receptions (two). “It’s just God’s got a different plan for you And you never know, you could be back in the same place that cut you so there’s always different reasons. It’s a business.”

From Seattle to Foxboro, never is that more apparent than it is this week.

McCourty honored: Safety Devin McCourty was named the 12th recipient of the New England Patriots Ron Burton Community Service Award at Monday night’s Patriots Premiere on the field at Gillette Stadium.

Ryan’s view: Logan Ryan downplayed the adjustment he must make when moving from the corner to play safety.

“It’s not that different,” the second-year player said. “I did a little bit of it last year. It’s football. I played all over growing up from high school to the NFL so it’s not that much different.”

Slow down: Wide receiver Kenbrell Thompkins says he believes the game has slowed down for him in his second preseason with the team.

“I think things have definitely slowed down a little bit, but I’m still going out there and trying to execute and play at a high level,” Thompkins said.